Mary White (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)

In 1990, Mr. Dan Brennan from a Castlecomer farm in north Kilkenny noticed problems with animals and the environment of his farm in what veterinary experts refer to as lack of thrive, stunted growth and low milk yields. Even the trees and hedgerows were dying on part of the farm. In 1991, Mr. Brennan was unable to sell his animals on account of their lack of growth and despite the absence of sickness among them and the feeding of supplements such as cobalt, zinc and copper, the situation did not improve during the mid-1990s. By 1995, Mr. Brennan had noticed that heifers bought in at 360 kg, which should have weighed 500 kg six months later had gained a mere 30 kg or 40 kg.

The water supply was thought to have been the source of the ill thrift but a change in the farm's water sources yielded no change. In 2000, the animals were put on 50 acres of rented ground on a nearby farm. Mr. Brennan's vet observed that the animals looked completely different. When they were brought back to his own farm they began to lose weight again. Laboratory tests confirmed this.

In the winter of 2003-04, feeding trials were conducted. Two sources of silage, one from Mr. Brennan's farm and one from an external source, were used for the trials on both Mr. Brennan's herd and an external herd. Yet, intermittent weight loss was recorded among the animals using either silage feed. Department officials told Mr. Brennan that he had conducted the tests incorrectly.

In 2006, departmental vets completed a report stating that the source of his animals' problem was disease management. The report was never published because of Mr. Brennan's unhappiness with the findings. A petition, which I wrote and which was accepted by the European Parliament petitions committee, was scathing of the progress being made in this deeply disturbing case. The petition was followed by a visit from Brussels of the committee, who saw the stunted cattle on the farm. In October 2006, the departmental vets ceased conducting tests on Mr. Brennan's farm.

A team of vets from UCD then commenced further tests. When feeding trials in 2006 and 2007 were conducted it was noticed that the animals were gaining weight. The local factory, however, which is in the maximum fall-out area of Mr. Brennan's farm, was closed during the course of these trials. Two letters from Teagasc in the past four years have stated that they do not believe it is the practices on Mr. Brennan's farm which have caused the ill thrift. In July and October 2006, the then Minister for Agriculture and Food promised Mr. Brennan that when a downturn in cattle occurred again, post-mortems, liver biopsies and digestibility studies would be carried out.

My understanding from reports in last week's Kilkenny People is that the investigation undertaken by the centre for veterinary epidemiology and risk analysis based at UCD has finished its work and the report of its findings allegedly shows that cadmium, a dangerous, highly toxic and cancer causing substance has been identified as one of the main causes of health problems on the farm. The levels of the dangerous chemical element found were, apparently, the highest ever recorded in the country.

Cadmium is often found in industrial work places, particularly where ore is being processed or smelted. Cadmium compounds can lead to cancers in animals and organisations such as the World Health Organisation, the American EPA and the US national toxicology programme have all deemed cadmium a problem and a human carcinogen.

I urge the Minister to expedite the publication of this report to give Mr. Dan Brennan and his family answers and justice after 19 years of waiting and to address or alleviate the concerns of the people of Castlecomer about public health issues which might arise if such reports are true. In a recent letter dated 14 April the Minister promised me that the publication of the report would take place at the end of this month or early May. Last week, on the day of media reports on the matter, an official from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food told local radio that it would be several months before the report would be completed. I understand the report, which I have not seen, is being peer reviewed, but one does not peer review a report if it is not completed. I call on the Minister of State to clarify these issues.

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